


save your strength (and stay alive) : part one

by redhairedmuses



Series: save your strength (and stay alive) [1]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Carlos gets shot on a call, Carlos is a bit reckless and wants to be a hero, Carlos!Whump, Carlos-centric, Gun Violence, Gunshot Wounds, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Michelle is a good friend, Panic Attacks, TK is a worried boy, TK!whump, lots of feels, song title is from hamilton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:00:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22644529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redhairedmuses/pseuds/redhairedmuses
Summary: based off an idea that i posted about on my tumblr: red-hairedwriter7idea: Carlos is shot while dispatched to a call. There's some angst. There are feelings (lots of feelings). And there's TK who just wants his - boyfriend? his friend with benefits? - to be okay.The series title is credited to the song "Stay Alive - Reprise" from Hamilton. i love the musical myself and found the song to be fitting.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star)/TK Strand
Series: save your strength (and stay alive) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628944
Comments: 43
Kudos: 312





	save your strength (and stay alive) : part one

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys! i haven't written a good fic in a long while so please forgive me. i've been out of practice so this will be very, very rough. 
> 
> thank you all for reading!
> 
> \- natalie
> 
> ps. this is also unbeta'd so any mistake is mine.

* * *

Carlos Reyes knew he was a damn-good cop. By now, he'd been on the job for a couple of years and seen some crazy shit. And he'd done his fair share of crazy shit too. There was the first time he broke up a bar fight in what definitely the most redneck place he’d ever seen, and he’d grown up in Texas his whole life. He’d met his fair share of rednecks, hicks, cowboys, but this bar? oh, this bar took the cake. It was also the first time he’d met Michelle. She couldn’t help but snicker as she was dabbing away some blood from his temple. And thus, it began a new friendship that only gotten stronger over the years.

But, despite all the insanity that Austin offered, it paled in comparison to what happened that rainy winter night in February. 

Now, Carlos didn't mind picking up the extra shift; it was extra money in his pocket. He didn't want to be sitting at home waiting for TK to show up after his own shift. They’d made plans to eat some of his abuela’s tamales and watch reruns of Chopped. A perfect way to end a long shift. Besides, maybe he could buy those organic blueberries that TK was so obsessed with. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting patiently for the light to turn green.

The call that came in over his radio was just like any other call. 

"All units be advised - " 

Carlos turned up the radio and listened. The call was of a house fire in a tiny suburb just outside of Travis County. A tiny suburb where all the houses looked the same, and everyone had either a Hybrid or a dusty truck in the driveway. A neighbor called it in when they saw smoke coming out of the windows. There were three potential victims still inside: a woman and her two children, ages 8 and 12. There was no word on the source of the fire, but the details were still coming in through dispatch. 

Then, he heard the address - _3464 NW Stone Street, all available units_ \- and he couldn't help but press his boot a little harder on the gas. 

He knew that address by heart. He snatched up his radio and radioed back to dispatch.

"Dispatch, this is Officer Reyes responding, ETA's 5 minutes tops - "

"Copy that Reyes - " 

Carlos flipped on the bar and sirens and sped through the red light. He made a u-turn at the next intersection and was on his way. The drive itself felt like an age. The rain was just now starting to pick up, and so were the winds. Carlos flinched at the crack of thunder, followed by a flash of lightning. Things were bound to get hairy on this particular call. 

By the time Carlos arrived on the scene, the house was engulfed in flames, and a large crowd had gathered on the street. Most of them still dressed in their pajamas and carrying umbrellas. He slammed his patrol car's door shut and elbowed his way through the crowd to get in front to see what FD and EMS had in store for themselves. He caught sight of his sergeant snapping orders to push the group back so FD and EMS could take over when they arrived. 

Carlos felt his heart sink at the sight of the burning home. 

Trina and her two kids, Micah and Amaya, lived there with their 110 lb. Rottweiler, Drago, who was really just a big teddy bear. Trina was a frequent 911 caller, and Carlos was the one who took over half those calls. She was going through a rough divorce and had filed a restraining order against her now ex-husband. After the first few times of showing up to the house, dragging the ex in cuffs, and Trina being patched up by EMS, Carlos decided to keep a close eye on Trina and the kids. Of course, that almost meant that the ex was always on his radar. 

Carlos and his fellow officers managed to make a clear path for FD and EMS, who were still at least 8 minutes out. The scene was secure – well, so he thought. 

To his right, someone screamed. Carlos jerked his head around and watched with wide eyes as someone came stumbling out of the front door of the burning home. _How the hell did they get out?_ he wondered. He took a few tentative steps forward, then something flashed silver in the person's right hand. 

_Gun._

"GUN!" 

Carlos drew his weapon and pointed it at the subject on the front lawn. He squinted his eyes and curled his finger on the trigger. Some of the other officers drew out their weapons and held steady for orders. The person who had stumbled out of the house looked familiar. Carlos looked closer, and he stiffened. It was Trina's ex-husband, Andre. How the hell did that guy get into the house? Trina said she'd changed the locks last time he checked on her. He pushed his questions to the back of his mind and took a step towards the guy. 

"Reyes - " it was his sergeant. A hand clapped him on the shoulder. "The hell are you doing? Wait till - "

"Look, sir, I know this house. I know these people," Carlos explained, his eyes not straying from the ex. He gaze flicked to the house and then he turned back to his sergeant. "Lemme talk to the guy, alright? Gimme a few minutes with him. If it goes south, you can write me up and suspend me without pay for a week."

His sergeant looked pissed, but he let out a huff and motioned for Carlos to continue. 

"You got five minutes, alright?" his sergeant growled, pointing a finger at him. "A second more and I pull your ass out of there, understood?"

Carlos nodded. His sergeant turned away, muttering something about paperwork and IAB grilling his ass later. With what seemed like the go-ahead from his superior (although it was kind of hard to tell), Carlos took another tentative step towards the guy.

"Hey, man! Andre, right? Just lower your weapon, alright? No one else has to get hurt tonight, okay?" Carlos called out, holstering his weapon. 

Andre whirled on Carlos, eyes wide and bugging out of his head. Carlos held his breath and took in Andre's appearance. His shirt was drenched in sweat which meant that he had been at the house for a while. His eyes were bloodshot and his fingers flexed on the grip of the gun. He was most likely running on adrenaline or even drugs, but whatever it was, the guy wasn't going to go down easy.

"That bitch deserves to die!" Andre snapped.

"Take it easy, man, we can work this out - "

"She wants to take my kids, man! My kids - they're my life!" he wailed, waving the gun around. Andre let out a growl and shouted, "She can't take them! I won't let her!" He then gestured to the burning house with the gun and began laughing. "Now she'll never get them back!"

Carlos flinched at the sound of the guy's laughter; it almost made him sick to his stomach. He swallowed, still keeping his gun trained on the ex. 

"Come on, man," he said. Carlos jerked his head towards the house. His thoughts strayed to the kids. Surely this guy wasn't stupid to lock those kids in there too. 

"Where's Micah and Amaya, Andre? Are they inside?" Carlos asked.

"No, no, they're fine. They're with friends," Andre muttered, just loud enough for Carlos to hear. “They’re safe.”

At least the kids were okay. They were okay. Thank God for small favors. Carlos had to keep the guy talking. But first, he had to convince Andre to drop his gun and end this peacefully, but somehow Carlos knew that it was going to be a lot harder.

"Good, good. Sign of good faith. Look, man, you think your kids want you to do this? Your kids need you to come out of this alive, alright? Now, just put the gun down, and we can both go home, okay?" 

Carlos could almost feel the bile in his throat as he said those words. He didn't mean a single word, but if it meant that it would calm the guy down so he can personally slap the cuffs on him and haul his ass to jail, then so be it. He had to get the guy away from the house, so the FD - _TK_ \- could do their job. 

Andre shook his head adamantly. He ran his free hand through his hair and tugged on the strands. He looked desperate and antsy. Carlos held his breath as he kept his eyes on the gun in Andre’s hand. Andre paced the lawn a few more times before he looked up and froze. To Carlos, that wasn't a good sign. Andre slowly lifted the gun, pointing it directly at him.

_Oh fuck._

"Wait, I know you - you're that cop. You - you arrested me... _you_ \- you did this - this is all your fault!" Andre’s eyes widened, and Carlos knew that he had been made. 

_Shit._

Carlos felt his heart stutter at the sound of glass shattering from inside the house. Someone was trying to get out, and this sick son of a bitch was standing in the way. Now startled like a deer, Andre spun on his heel and took off down the alley next to the house. Without warning, Carlos gave chase with the sound of sirens echoing in his ears and his sergeant screaming his name after him.

The 126 had come. _TK_ had come.

Carlos shouted into his radio - "Officer Reyes in pursuit of suspect! Heading southbound down the alley towards Adams! Be advised, suspect is still armed!"

Carlos could feel the blood pumping through his veins as he sprinted after the ex. He didn't even bother responding to the sound of his name being called. Carlos didn't have time to radio for backup, and Trina didn't have time to wait either. No, he had to stop this guy. He wasn't going to let this guy hurt anyone else tonight. Carlos hauled himself over wired fences and hopped over fallen trash cans, his eyes still following every move Andre made.

Andre darted right, and Carlos was just feet behind him. Carlos made a sharp right on Adams Street, and just as he turned the corner, he was staring down the barrel of a pistol. 

His heart thudded in his chest, and he could only think of one thing: _TK._

Before Carlos could even retrieve his own gun, there were several flashes of light and the sound of footsteps disappearing into the rainy night. Something hot hit him twice in the stomach and once in the shoulder. He stumbled forward before dropping to his knees. He reached for his weapon, but his left side erupted in white-hot, flaring pain. He let out a pained cry and placed a hand on the cold, wet concrete. His hand began to shake. Shock? Was he going into shock? Carlos pressed a hand to his stomach and pulled back to see blood staining his fingers. It wasn't what he expected. He thought there would be more pain, but he felt nothing. Nothing. Maybe it was the adrenaline that was numbing the pain. Yeah, that sounded right...

He blindly reached up for his radio, pressed down, and groaned, "Shots fired, I repeat - shots fired. Officer down - officer down. 3600 and Adams. 3600 and Adams. Send back up - suspect went east on Adams, east on Adams, shit - "

The radio clicked off, and Carlos was in blessed silence again. 

_Oh, fuck._

Carlos fell onto his back, his head thumping against the concrete. He instinctively placed his hand to his side, hissing from the pain. _Keep pressure on the wound, okay?_ Michelle had said to him on a call one night. The victim had been shot in the leg and Carlos was one of the first officers on scene. Michelle arrived shortly after with her team to take over. _The pressure will keep them breathing long enough until we get to the hospital._ He looked up at the sky, and a flash of lightning streaked across the sky. The rain fell onto his face. Oddly enough, it was refreshing. Then the heavy, sickening smell of copper burned his nostrils. He wanted to throw up. 

" _–_ eyes _–_ Reyes!"

_Fucking Christ –_

His throat burned. Everything was on fire, and he hurt everywhere. He tried to lift a hand, but the thought of it moving hurt more. His shoulder felt numb. With a shudder, Carlos tilted his head to the side and started coughing harshly. He spat onto the concrete, and his lips felt wet - _blood?_ he wondered. 

" — Reyes is down. I repeat, we have an officer down. We need EMS — now!"

The radio was quiet again and then there were more footsteps. Something was running towards him. For a second he started to reach for his holstered weapon, then more shouting. Someone was saying his name. And they sounded familiar.

Carlos gritted his teeth as someone dropped beside him. He felt hands on his chest and what sounded like scissors ripping through his uniform. He was going to have to order a new one later... 

He let out a staggering breath, and suddenly, there were hands on his cheeks. There were cold and wet _–_ _rain?_ and smelled like latex. Gloves _–_ they were gloves _–_ medical gloves. EMS had come to his rescue. He couldn’t help but feel his lips pull into a smile. He craned his neck up and found himself staring into the eyes of his closest friend - Michelle. 

Oh boy, was he happy to see her. He tried to smile but he only shook from the pain.

"Hey, hey, Carlos, sweetie, you need to stay still for me, okay?" she said to him. There was a slight tremor in her voice. She sounded scared and worried, but she sure as hell didn't look it. Carlos tried to reach out, but Michelle's hand stopped him. "You've been shot. And you need to stay calm. Don't try to move _–_ " 

_shot? me? – wait, the guy got away. danger – everyone in danger. gotta stop him. gotta stop – wait – tk – where is he? did he make it to the house? did he get trina out? is he okay? i need to know if he's okay michelle. michelle. help me. please. i don't wanna die. i don't wanna die. i need to tell him – i need to –_

"Carlos, Carlos, honey, you need to stay calm, okay? You're going into shock, and it won't help you if you keep - _–_ "

_no no no. michelle please. i need to see him. i need to tell him i love him. i need – tk – tk – i need to – he needs to know –_

Carlos shakily lifted a bloody hand and blindly reached for Michelle's wrist like some greedy toddler. He could feel the blood still in his mouth, and it tasted like shit. Carlos coughed again, spraying the front of Michelle's uniform. He winced at the sight of fresh blood on her already dark uniform. He probably looked like shit. Bruised and bloody? Not a good look for him. He didn't want anyone to see him like this - especially not TK. 

_ah fuck. i'm so stupid. so so stupid. what the hell was i thinking? dinner? i should've just asked tk. i should've just asked. tk – tk, tk? tk, tk – i'm sorry. i'm sorry. please – tk tk –_

There was a gurgle and then harsh coughing. Carlos just wanted the pain to stop. _fucking christ why was he so cold._

"The bullet's hit his lung, and it's filling up with blood," someone said. _michelle?_ "We need to get him to the hospital. Get the stretcher! NOW!"

_yeah, that was definitely her._

Michelle's voice sounded so loud in his ears, and he wanted her to stop talking. It was too loud. Too loud. He needed quiet. Just peace and sweet, sweet quiet. 

Carlos' felt his eyes getting heavier; he was so, so tired. Michelle's voice sounded so far away. He couldn't tell what she was saying to him, but from the way her lips moved - _lemme sleep michelle. please._ He wanted to sleep so bad. Man, sleep sounded great. His eyelids fluttered shut—his mind drifted and drifted, and all he could think of was _TK. TK. TK. TK_ -

-

_"You know I'm holding a dart."_

_Carlos failed to be impressed by TK's empty threat. He looked at him with a shrug of his shoulders._

"And _I'm carrying a piece."_

_There was a pause, and TK looked a mixture between slightly curious, terrified, and turned on. He pointed the dart in his direction, eyes flicking downward --_

_"That's hot."_

_Oh yeah, definitely turned on._

\- 

"Carlos? Carlos, can you hear me?"

There was something warm touching his wrist. A hand? And it was calloused. Wait, wait, he knew that hand. There was a voice. A voice in his ear. It was pained, and - hurting? Why was it so familiar?

"I'm here, I'm here, okay? Just hold on, please? Hold on - "

_Wait, could it be -_

-

_TK slammed him against his front door and immediately starting working on ripping open his nice button-up shirt. Lips locked and tongues intertwining. Hot breaths panting in his ear. Carlos tossed his head back, thumping against the door. He gritted his teeth as TK chuckled against his lips and then sunk down to his knees. Carlos felt his breath hitch. His gaze flickered down to TK, and the sight was almost too painful -_

\- 

Pain. Loud. Sirens wailing. He flinched. Everything was so loud. Someone was talking -- no, shouting? His name? Who was saying his name? It sounded familiar. Like home. Like huddled under the blankets during a storm kind of home. Like – wait, TK? _ah, fuck._ Pain. Pressure. It hurt. Everything hurt. Ribs burned. Lungs burned. Shoulder burned. Chest burned. Heart _–_ _wait – wait – something's wrong..._

_what's happening to me? what's going on? why can't i move? what – what – tk? tk? i'm scared. i'm scared. please, tk help me help – tktktktk –_

-

"Victim is Carlos Reyes, Austin police. 27 year old Latino male, 3 GSWs, one to the shoulder, and two to the stomach. BP is dropping - "

"Officer Reyes? Can you hear me?"

Something grabbed him by the jaw. A hand. Something else flashed in his eyes. A flashlight. _ah fuck that hurt._

"Alert OR for incoming GSW victim. Prep him for surgery, now!"

-

_Carlos stumbled to his front door, scrubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced at the clock on his stove and groaned when the green numbers of 2:39 blinked at him in return. He wrenched the door open, hoping to find no one there, but to his surprise there stood a rain-soaked TK Strand dressed in a hoodie, sweats, and tennis shoes on his doorstep. His eyes were red and there were tear stains on his cheeks. He'd been crying. Carlos felt his heart break at the sight of this man. The man he cared so much about._

_He held his breath as TK slowly lifted his head and simply whispered, "Can I come in?"_

_And Carlos let him in._

_-_

_beeeep. beeeep. beeeep. beeeeeeeeeeee -_

"Shit _–_ he's coding! Get the defibrillator! Set it for 30 _–_ now!"

_tk - tyler - tyler - ty -_

-

“CHARGING!”

-

_"Hey, TK? Everything okay?"_

_-_

“Shock him, **NOW**!”

_Thud!_

-

_“TK?”_

_"Huh, what?"_

_TK spun around in his chair, locking his eyes with Carlos, who held a bowl of freshly made pico de gallo in his hands. The tamales were already on the table and paired with some of his mother’s famous rice. Concerned, Carlos padded over to the table and placed the bowl on the table. He came up behind TK and gently wrapped his arms around TK's body. He felt TK's hand slide up and grab his forearm. Carlos placed his chin in the crook of TK's neck and kissed him on the cheek._

_"You wanna talk about it?" he asked quietly as TK ran his thumb over his arm._

_TK sighed and shook his head._

_"Not really." came the reply. "It's just – " TK sighed again and leaned into the embrace. "It's been a rough week."_

_"Okay," Carlos said with a nod. He pressed his face closer to TK's. He knew better than anyone not to press. He just held TK and did what he did best._

_"Well, whenever you wanna talk, TK, I'm here to listen, okay? I'm here for you whenever you need me. And I know we don't know what this thing between us is just yet, but I need you to know that you're safe here. With me. You got that?"_

_"Yeah, I got it," TK chuckled and turned his head to where he was looking directly at Carlos._

_Carlos felt TK's hazel eyes searching for his. God, he really liked his eyes. They told a story of someone who had suffered, triumphed, fallen, and got back up. Carlos could spend hours staring into those gorgeous eyes. Grinning, he leaned down and –_

_-_

“AGAIN!”

A thud on the metal table.

“AGAIN!”

Another thud on the table.

Then anxious silence – and the greatest sound anyone would hear: the blip of a heart monitor.

_beep. beep. beep. beep. beep._

"We got a pulse!"

_-_

_TK._

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! leave a comment or kudos if you want!
> 
> hmu on my tumblr (red-hairedwriter7) if you wanna chat about Tarlos and how these two are going to give me a heart attack.


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